Alabama icon Fannie Flagg’s retirement hasn’t worked out so far. Whenever the 80-year-old author and comedian tries to step away from her writing career, fans clamor for another book. And Flagg has obliged them.

The Birmingham-born author of “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” will release a collection of short stories called “Something to Look Forward To” on Aug. 19, 2025.

“Fannie wrote this book because her fans kept writing to her, inquiring about when she was going to publish again,” according to a press release from publisher Penguin Random House.

“I wanted to write a book to make people feel good,” Flagg said. “A book about ordinary people and how they live their lives.’”

In January, country music legend Reba McEntire announced that she will produce and star in a movie based on Flagg’s bestselling 2013 book, “The All-Girls Filling Station’s Last Reunion.” Read about it here.

Flagg’s upcoming book “is a collection of interconnected short stories about how people across America cope with our ever-changing world, written with Fannie’s signature warmth, humor, and wit,” the press release said.

See the pricing and publication information here. Pre-orders are not currently available.

The press release includes a review from comedian Carol Burnett, who said she’s fan of Flagg’s writing. “It’s a wonderful read . . . funny, sad, surprising, and intriguing. Fannie’s characters jump off the page and into your heart,” Burnett said. “She continues to delight and amaze.”